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A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions, and figures, whether historical or mythical . The "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" from 1895 is now in the public domain, and Web-based versions are ...
The original meaning was similar to "the game is afoot", but its modern meaning, like that of the phrase "crossing the Rubicon", denotes passing the point of no return on a momentous decision and entering into a risky endeavor where the outcome is left to chance. alenda lux ubi orta libertas: Let light be nourished where liberty has arisen
List of Latin phrases. This is a list of Wikipedia articles of Latin phrases and their translation into English. To view all phrases on a single, lengthy document, see: List of Latin phrases (full) The list is also divided alphabetically into twenty pages: List of Latin phrases (A)
Another phrase is Am Sankt-Nimmerleins-Tag ("on St. Never's Day"). [19] Wenn Weihnachten und Ostern auf einen Tag fallen! ("when Christmas and Easter are on the same day") Georgian– როცა ვირი ხეზე ავა ("when the donkey climbs the tree") Greek – Του Αγίου Ποτέ ("on St.
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote in his Aeneid: " sic itur ad astra " ('thus one journeys to the stars') [ 1] and " opta ardua pennis astra sequi " ('desire to pursue the high [/hard to reach] stars on wings'). [ 2] Another origin is Seneca the Younger, who wrote in Hercules: " non ...
Hoist with his own petard. " Hoist with his own petard " is a phrase from a speech in William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet that has become proverbial. The phrase's meaning is that a bomb-maker is blown ("hoist", the past tense of "hoise") off the ground by his own bomb ("petard"), and indicates an ironic reversal or poetic justice. [ 1]